大象传媒

Early gigs are a good thing early in the week, because we're probably all still tired and the chance of a good night's kip is welcome. Unfortunately what it does mean is you can end up missing a chunk of the support, including her name. Obviously, she was on time, probably aided by not having to try to sort out a band, for our support is a single female doing synth-electro pop, but with more of a dance influence than the likes of Gaga and so on. This type of support is unusual but fits with the talk of Kele's reported shift towards dance music away from the guitar basis of Bloc Party. Anyway, back to our anonymous support. It's deeper and darker, more techno than electropop, a bit more 90s than the 80s that is in vogue, a strong vampish personality. Indeed, closing number White Horses has a tribal Trentemoller style dark beat to it, suggesting that there is a bit more intellectual depth than the bubblegum clogging up the charts. Apparently there's an album available, but a trawl of the merch stand turned up nothing. Sorry, stranger on a Monday night, we like you, but you've passed us on the night.

It's a small crowd, bigger than a house party, perhaps a cul-de-sac party but not big enough for a bloc party. As the album isn't even released yet, it's the past that has attracted those here, a fact acknowledged by the man, with a couple of his old act's numbers thrown into the set for good measure, and the past is apparent from his ease in what is now a small venue for him. Back in the band days, there was always an electro feel to what they did, unsurprising given the historic jagged art-rock was an influence on dance music, and there is a nod to the past with the choice of a bit of Gary Numan to accompany them onstage. As for Kele, well he's not the fiery, angry young man of art of before, instead he's turned into a bit of a nu-rave smiling front-man, reminiscent of the change of Dizzee Rascal from hardcore grimer to chart-bothering popstar. 听Indeed, I Heard You could be a bit of contemporary Dizzee with its cheery big beat electropop. Driving Me Insane is a remix of Hold Me Thrill Me... by U2, delivered by a very polished front-man who apologises for it being a while since he was here. Someone hands him a sign requesting Love Will Tear Us Apart in memorial of the forthcoming anniversary of the death of Ian Curtis, but is denied as they don't know it, instead we have to settle for some Bloc Party numbers, but again mutated to a more dance feel. Actually Curtis is a decent reference, for Kele seems to be shuffling around, like New Order did in the aftermath of Ian's death, trying to find a direction to point his talent and to realise the potential he has - charisma, intelligent, personality, and a damn good voice. He claims the album is the best he's done, but the crowd says different - at this stage Bloc Party, albeit with more of a push, were pretty much ramming the Mandela.

He promises to come back, we'll see.

William Johnston